I was wondering what the nature of Anse's behavior was at the end of the novel?
I personally thought it was beyond awful to be downright humorous. Is it suppossed to be funny that Anse steals money from his daughter to buy false teeth? Furthermore, I did not know what to make of the last line of the novel, "Meet Mrs. Bundren", but laugh. Was it Faulkner's purpose to construct an ending so immoral that it was actually a type of sick, twisted humor, or am I overreacting?- TMc-c Mar 11, 2008
If you are over reacting then so am I. I think I have a pretty good sense of humor, but I didn't find this funny at all. Anse has just lost his wife and he is hardly hurt by it. I gathered that he and her did not have the best relationship, but still he should have some compassion. The ending made me dislike Anse even more. He stole to get his teeth--his real motive for going on the trip even though it was intended to fulfill his wife's wishes. And then he went off and married another woman spur of the moment. I don't really understand what is humorous in that? Maybe you feel so overwhelmed with anger and confusion that you laugh because you don't know what else to do, but other than that I do not find it to be that comical. I may be being a little harsh, but i was just very dissapointed with the way the family was treating something that is usually a very painful time. The whole thing to me was pretty much a sick joke.- JJa-c Mar 11, 2008
I don't think that it was funny at all! I mean how selfish can one person be? I admit, I felt bad for Anse that he was stuck in a loveless marriage and had a wife who was in love in another man, but come on, marrying another woman only like a week after your wife dies? Is he serious? I lost all respect for Anse when I read the end of the book, I was completely disgusted with what he did to his family. But because it was so soon it does make me think that he was planning this marriage before Addie even died. After the book ended it was no surprise that the Bundren children were so disrespectful since their father obviously didn't have any respect for their family or what his children were going through after the death of their mother. - kfr-c Mar 12, 2008
Yeah, I'm going to have to agree with all three of you. There was definitely nothing funny about burying your wife and then marrying someone completely new and random directly afterwards. I mean, not only is Anse selfish because he can't stand being alone and needs a wife to do all of the work for him, but he is also selfish because he's willing to put his children through that kind of stress without a regret in his mind. Even if none of the family members really seemed to be all that affected by Addie's death, there is no excuse for him making such a life-changing decision as getting re-married right after his wife has just died. It doesn't seem as though the family members were all that close, but that doesn't negate the fact that there is a bond between them, and Anse clearly doesn't care about it at all. Don't worry, I don't think any of you were overreacting. I don't think the ending was funny at all, I think it was preposterous. - MRo-c Mar 12, 2008
I'm right with everyone else when it comes to the ending being sick humor. Anse has a lot to do with that humor at the end of the novel. Stealing from your daughter for new teeth seems outraegous. Actually it doesn't really seem outraegous, it is outraegous. It shows though how self-centered and determined Anse is. He did what he had to to get what he needed. When it comes to his marriage after his wife's death, I don't know if I agree with kfr on the fact that he may have been planning it before his wife's death. I think his second marriage just goes along with the selfish issues we see him having at the end of the novel. I think the author would have thrown in a section about Anse planning on marrying another woman. It seems like it would fit the novel. Anse cared about the well being of himself and whatever happened to the rest of them was whatever to him. I was not a fan of his character at the end of the novel.- aja-c Mar 12, 2008
To clarify, or rather, repost, what I said before: "Furthermore, I did not know what to make of the last line of the novel, "Meet Mrs. Bundren", but laugh." I thought it was funny because, as I kept the novel in perspective as a novel, not as a real-life occurrence, this was probably the most pathetically awful ending I have ever read for any type of story. If I can elaborate on my sense of humor, I would like to state that I find things so awful to be funny. For example, when a player in the NBA, such as Ben Wallace, airballs two free-throws in a game more than once, that is funny, to me at least, because of how sad it is. Someone gets paid millions of dollars to play basketball, and proceeds to airball free-throws. Even Ben Wallace seems to laugh about it, which makes the situation even more pathetically awful, and thus more hilarious. Politics is another example. I find politics interesting because of how pathetically awful, and thus funny, it is. The fact that the governor of New York was involved in a prostitution ring, or the fact that a governor's hiring process for his state is predicated on how much contributions he receives from a related outside party is beyond tragic to the point where I just laugh at the absurdity Turning away from digressions about my sense of humor, let's go back to Faulkner. Taking his Nobel Acceptance Speech into account, I think that Faulkner made this ending awful to illustrate an ending contrary to the one he outlined in his speech. - TMc-c Mar 12, 2008
The nature of Anse at the end of the novel was his nature and role througout the novel and that was total self interest in order to advance himself. In the beggining we learn that Anse is a lazy man who often times uses other people's good naturdness to his advantage in order to get his work done. Also throughout the novel there is constant mentioning of his teeth and, to me at least, that was probably his prime motivation in wanting to get to town for if he really cared about his wife he probably wound't have paraded her dead body throughout the county. He also doesn't get proper medical care for his son Cash and even though Cash said that he didn't need the care what type of parent would not see how hurt he is and try to take care of the living son that is gravely injured? No the end of the book never surprised me because we knew all along that Anse was the embodiement of greed throughout the story and the actions at the end just furthur prove what was already established.
Now as to the dark humor and if the author intended the last lines I'd have to say that they were a fitting end to what was a dark book and definently a demonstration of a dark sort of humor that is evident throughout Faulkner's book. - DGr-c
I think the purpose of the ending was to provide a cheap laugh through dark humor, but also to symbolize that perhaps with a new wife and being rid of Addie there will be a new life for them. Because Addie was a large reason for the family's misery towards the end. Her wish to be buried in Jefferson has caused nearly all their troubles and pains, and now that the journey is complete they can move on with their lives and this new Miss Bundren is the representation of that. She, along with the new teeth, could also represent perhaps a catlyst for change, yet it is more likely that Faulkner wanted to present a realistic ending. Not every novel has to end with some life-chaning epiphany that causes a change for the better in a character. Sometimes people do not change- MSu-c Mar 13, 2008
I don't think that the new items mean any sort of new change but are rather just emblems that things are going to continue to be the same. They may have a new mother but with the short time it took for her and Anse to hook up with eachother I think that it is more of a lustful relationship or a relationship that is based on something other than love because because the sheer self centerdness of Anse would make him incapable of love unless there was some life changing expirence in his life for the better and at the end he seemed to get worse instead of better by stealing his own daughter's money in order to get a personal item for him. There is no way that this type of situation could change for the better. It may even get worse because the new mother dosnt even have any blood invested in the kids or they with her so if the own blood mother couldn't build any caring bonds how is this new mother going to be able to do anything? - DGr-c
I personally thought it was beyond awful to be downright humorous. Is it suppossed to be funny that Anse steals money from his daughter to buy false teeth? Furthermore, I did not know what to make of the last line of the novel, "Meet Mrs. Bundren", but laugh. Was it Faulkner's purpose to construct an ending so immoral that it was actually a type of sick, twisted humor, or am I overreacting?-
If you are over reacting then so am I. I think I have a pretty good sense of humor, but I didn't find this funny at all. Anse has just lost his wife and he is hardly hurt by it. I gathered that he and her did not have the best relationship, but still he should have some compassion. The ending made me dislike Anse even more. He stole to get his teeth--his real motive for going on the trip even though it was intended to fulfill his wife's wishes. And then he went off and married another woman spur of the moment. I don't really understand what is humorous in that? Maybe you feel so overwhelmed with anger and confusion that you laugh because you don't know what else to do, but other than that I do not find it to be that comical. I may be being a little harsh, but i was just very dissapointed with the way the family was treating something that is usually a very painful time. The whole thing to me was pretty much a sick joke.-
I don't think that it was funny at all! I mean how selfish can one person be? I admit, I felt bad for Anse that he was stuck in a loveless marriage and had a wife who was in love in another man, but come on, marrying another woman only like a week after your wife dies? Is he serious? I lost all respect for Anse when I read the end of the book, I was completely disgusted with what he did to his family. But because it was so soon it does make me think that he was planning this marriage before Addie even died. After the book ended it was no surprise that the Bundren children were so disrespectful since their father obviously didn't have any respect for their family or what his children were going through after the death of their mother. -
Yeah, I'm going to have to agree with all three of you. There was definitely nothing funny about burying your wife and then marrying someone completely new and random directly afterwards. I mean, not only is Anse selfish because he can't stand being alone and needs a wife to do all of the work for him, but he is also selfish because he's willing to put his children through that kind of stress without a regret in his mind. Even if none of the family members really seemed to be all that affected by Addie's death, there is no excuse for him making such a life-changing decision as getting re-married right after his wife has just died. It doesn't seem as though the family members were all that close, but that doesn't negate the fact that there is a bond between them, and Anse clearly doesn't care about it at all. Don't worry, I don't think any of you were overreacting. I don't think the ending was funny at all, I think it was preposterous.
-
I'm right with everyone else when it comes to the ending being sick humor. Anse has a lot to do with that humor at the end of the novel. Stealing from your daughter for new teeth seems outraegous. Actually it doesn't really seem outraegous, it is outraegous. It shows though how self-centered and determined Anse is. He did what he had to to get what he needed. When it comes to his marriage after his wife's death, I don't know if I agree with kfr on the fact that he may have been planning it before his wife's death. I think his second marriage just goes along with the selfish issues we see him having at the end of the novel. I think the author would have thrown in a section about Anse planning on marrying another woman. It seems like it would fit the novel. Anse cared about the well being of himself and whatever happened to the rest of them was whatever to him. I was not a fan of his character at the end of the novel.-
To clarify, or rather, repost, what I said before: "Furthermore, I did not know what to make of the last line of the novel, "Meet Mrs. Bundren", but laugh." I thought it was funny because, as I kept the novel in perspective as a novel, not as a real-life occurrence, this was probably the most pathetically awful ending I have ever read for any type of story. If I can elaborate on my sense of humor, I would like to state that I find things so awful to be funny. For example, when a player in the NBA, such as Ben Wallace, airballs two free-throws in a game more than once, that is funny, to me at least, because of how sad it is. Someone gets paid millions of dollars to play basketball, and proceeds to airball free-throws. Even Ben Wallace seems to laugh about it, which makes the situation even more pathetically awful, and thus more hilarious. Politics is another example. I find politics interesting because of how pathetically awful, and thus funny, it is. The fact that the governor of New York was involved in a prostitution ring, or the fact that a governor's hiring process for his state is predicated on how much contributions he receives from a related outside party is beyond tragic to the point where I just laugh at the absurdity Turning away from digressions about my sense of humor, let's go back to Faulkner. Taking his Nobel Acceptance Speech into account, I think that Faulkner made this ending awful to illustrate an ending contrary to the one he outlined in his speech. -
The nature of Anse at the end of the novel was his nature and role througout the novel and that was total self interest in order to advance himself. In the beggining we learn that Anse is a lazy man who often times uses other people's good naturdness to his advantage in order to get his work done. Also throughout the novel there is constant mentioning of his teeth and, to me at least, that was probably his prime motivation in wanting to get to town for if he really cared about his wife he probably wound't have paraded her dead body throughout the county. He also doesn't get proper medical care for his son Cash and even though Cash said that he didn't need the care what type of parent would not see how hurt he is and try to take care of the living son that is gravely injured? No the end of the book never surprised me because we knew all along that Anse was the embodiement of greed throughout the story and the actions at the end just furthur prove what was already established.
Now as to the dark humor and if the author intended the last lines I'd have to say that they were a fitting end to what was a dark book and definently a demonstration of a dark sort of humor that is evident throughout Faulkner's book.
-
I think the purpose of the ending was to provide a cheap laugh through dark humor, but also to symbolize that perhaps with a new wife and being rid of Addie there will be a new life for them. Because Addie was a large reason for the family's misery towards the end. Her wish to be buried in Jefferson has caused nearly all their troubles and pains, and now that the journey is complete they can move on with their lives and this new Miss Bundren is the representation of that. She, along with the new teeth, could also represent perhaps a catlyst for change, yet it is more likely that Faulkner wanted to present a realistic ending. Not every novel has to end with some life-chaning epiphany that causes a change for the better in a character. Sometimes people do not change-
I don't think that the new items mean any sort of new change but are rather just emblems that things are going to continue to be the same. They may have a new mother but with the short time it took for her and Anse to hook up with eachother I think that it is more of a lustful relationship or a relationship that is based on something other than love because because the sheer self centerdness of Anse would make him incapable of love unless there was some life changing expirence in his life for the better and at the end he seemed to get worse instead of better by stealing his own daughter's money in order to get a personal item for him. There is no way that this type of situation could change for the better. It may even get worse because the new mother dosnt even have any blood invested in the kids or they with her so if the own blood mother couldn't build any caring bonds how is this new mother going to be able to do anything?
-